


A Tangled Web We Weave

by corgasbord



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hair Braiding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 23:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11588481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgasbord/pseuds/corgasbord
Summary: Maki doesn’t like to let anyone touch her hair. Kaede is the only exception.





	A Tangled Web We Weave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [youriko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youriko/gifts).



> here's another of my gifts for the ndrv3 christmas in july exchange - this one's for jac, fellow appreciator of femslash. enjoy!

Maki wakes up with her hair an absolute mess, as usual.

This doesn’t come as a surprise to her; after all, her hair has hung far past her waist for as long as she can remember, and with the amount of tossing and turning she does at night it’s only natural that it would be riddled from scalp to end with tangles.

(Maybe one of these days she’ll cut it short. Maybe.)

With a sigh, she sits up and stretches, then casts a sidelong look at her girlfriend, sound asleep in the proper bed next to her futon setup - she always gets a futon whenever she sleeps over at Kaede’s house, but it’s more comfortable than what she sleeps on back home, so she can hardly complain. She watches the steady rise and fall of Kaede’s chest for a minute before deciding to leave her alone for the time being. Kaede’s a rather heavy sleeper, and difficult to get out of bed in the morning.

Instead, she gets to her feet and turns, sweeping her ratty hair behind her with the movement. She always has the courtesy to fold the bedding and leave it in a neat stack with the pillow placed atop it so that Kaede doesn’t have to do it herself. Then, stifling a yawn, she heads to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Brushing her hair is enough of a production that she decides to save it for last. In the meantime, she sweeps her bangs out of her eyes and tucks the stray strands behind her ears, then retrieves the toothpaste and her toothbrush (because she’s taken to keeping one here, just in case) and sets about brushing her teeth.

The door, left slightly ajar, creaks open a bit wider a few minutes later, and she catches a glimpse of blonde hair behind her in the mirror. “Morning, Harumaki,” Kaede says in a lilting voice, weighed down with the remnants of sleep.

Maki grunts in response, the toothbrush hanging halfway out of her mouth offering as good an excuse as any not to bother with words.

Kaede picks up her own toothbrush, and Maki steps aside just enough to give her room in the mirror. They brush their teeth in silence, and only when Maki is finished does she finally reach for the hairbrush.

Next to her, Kaede hurriedly spits into the sink and starts to rinse off her toothbrush, giving Maki a wide-eyed and expectant stare. “Hey, can I brush your hair this time? Pleeeaaase?”

Maki cocks an eyebrow. Kaede likes to mess with Maki’s hair, and more often than not Maki allows her, but she’s never understood where all that enthusiasm comes from. “Why do you always seem so excited about it? You sound like a little kid.”

Kaede brightens, gleefully snatching the hairbrush from Maki. “Because it’s so pretty! It’s long and soft… I bet there’s so much you could do with it.” She carefully runs her fingers through it a few times, ignoring the snarls that they catch on, then lifts a handful of it to start brushing out the tangles from the bottom up.

“Maybe. But I don’t need to do anything with it,” Maki says, unflinching. “It’s not like I want to spend an hour every morning styling it, anyway.”

“You shouldn’t have to spend _that_ much time on it!” Kaede insists, brow furrowed in concentration as she picks apart an especially stubborn knot with her fingertips. “Since we’re here, why don’t you let me show you?”

Maki’s eyes narrow warily. “Show me what?”

“Simple stuff you can do with your hair. Like, for example…” She splits Maki’s locks down the middle and takes one side in each hand, holding them up to form pigtails higher up on Maki’s head than her normal ones. “You could wear your pigtails like this!”

“I’m not a grade-schooler, Kaede.”

“I know. That was a joke.” Then she pulls all of Maki’s hair behind her and gathers it between her hands. “A ponytail is pretty mature, though, right? Simple, and it would be an easy change of pace.”

“I guess,” Maki says with a shrug. “Look, do whatever you want, as long as it’s not going to get me laughed at.”

Kaede lets Maki’s hair fall and goes back to brushing it. “Aw, have a little more faith in me, Harumaki. I know how to do hair well enough. Besides, you look beautiful no matter what your hair looks like, anyway!”

Maki huffs, watching her face turn pink in the mirror against her will. “Whatever.”

Unperturbed by Maki’s reaction, Kaede continues to work until Maki’s hair is completely smoothed out, a curtain of dark silk that falls to her ankles. Then, after a minute of eyeing it carefully, she separates it into three long strands and begins weaving them together, movements clumsy but quick.

Following a brief, tentative pause, Maki asks, “What are you doing?”

“Braiding it.”

“I can see that. But why?”

“Why not?” Kaede shrugs. “I thought it’d look nice, that’s all. Besides, you basically gave me free reign, so I definitely couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”

Maki sighs. “Fine.”

Kaede smiles that frustratingly irresistible smile of hers. “Don’t worry, it won’t take long, since I’m only doing one.”

Maki has perfected the art of sitting still, regardless of how antsy she is, so she remains quiet and compliant until Kaede has had her fun. Once Kaede reaches the tail end of Maki’s hair, she scrambles to grab a hair tie off of the counter to affix to the end of the braid before stepping back, clasping her hands together in front of her face like a proud mother. “Aaand done! What do you think?”

Maki turns her head from side to side, letting the long, thick braid swish with it. Her hands compulsively slide behind her own neck to pull it over her shoulder and fiddle with it, fingertips catching a bit on the ridges, before she answers with a roll of her shoulders. “It looks okay. If I wanted a change I probably would’ve gone for the ponytail, though.”

“Ah.” Kaede tilts her head. “Do you want to take it out?” 

“No, it’s fine. I can keep it in for today.” Finding it easier to express her gratitude with a gesture rather than words, she pivots enough to lean in and brush her lips against Kaede’s cheek. Kaede is even more flushed than Maki was by the time she pulls away, and she has to bite back a smirk. “Want me to do yours next?”

Kaede blinks, taken aback, and Maki has to roll her eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. I can manage simple things, too.”

“Oh. Well, if you want to, then… sure,” Kaede says, still looking adorably flustered as she moves to take Maki’s place in front of the mirror.

Maki steps behind her, hairbrush in hand, and as she smooths both her fingers and the bristles through locks of soft, pale gold, she’s reminded that maybe it’s not so bad to have such a touchy girlfriend.


End file.
